Naruto Chapter 408 – Fukusaku’s Proposal

If it weren’t for his crappy fashion sense, Sasuke-baka might be considered hawt.

Sorry for the tardy post yet again everyone, its due to a mix of tiredness and apathy this week, I blame the heat. Again not really too much going on this week, just some set up for what’s to come in following chapters.

The chapter starts of with Sasuke’s team in the Land of Thunder. Suigetsu is beating up on some ninja, wanting to know where the eight tailed-beast is. The man refuses to tell them anything, saying that the Yotsuki clan will not betray their allies.
Sasuke walks forward saying that a fearful heart can be exploited, he uses his new Sharingan on the ninja.

Pretty much right away, the ninja begins to answer Sasuke’s questions. He tells him that the eight tails is training at Unraikyo. Sasuke asks for a description, the ninja says that the eight tails has two tattoos. The one on the man’s right shoulder is the character for iron and there is a tattoo of a bull’s horn on the mans left cheek, he also has a seven-bladed sword.

It looks like Sasuke knocks the guy out with his knee and the team moves out. Suigetsu acknowledges that Sasuke‘s new technique is useful, but says that Sasuke will be even more of a pain than before. Karin is fangirling (please Kishimoto, if you listen to fans at all and you decide you need to kill someone else in your manga off, please, please, please let Karin be top of the list to go next), and Juugo says that the place makes him feel peaceful.

Can you tell from the picture that I DON’T like Karin?

Back in Konoha, the frog sage Fukasaku is reading the message left by Jiraiya. He is thinking back to the fight with Pein. He remembers that he didn’t have any sense of Nagato in any of the six bodies they were facing. However, he did sense Nagato in one body, the face looked different but he definitely had a sense of him.

Fukusaku says that he message is too vague and Shikamaru presses him for any thoughts he might have. Fukusaku says that he has told them all he knows, that Pein can seemingly revive himself if he dies, although he says he is only guessing about that. Fukusaku says it is too dangerous to fight Pein at the moment and that they need to solve the mystery.

I wonder if Kishimoto was a fan of The Muppet Show…

Kakashi asks about the other sources of information and Sakura says that they will take some time. Naruto gets irritated when Sakura can’t give a clear timetable for when the information will become available. Sakura gets angry back, saying that the autopsy will take time, with Tsunade concurring that it will take at least a week. Naruto seems deflated at the news, but Shiho tells him to not let it get him down.

Naruto decides that he will go tell them to hurry up despite Tsunade saying that Shizune will work quickly and more than likely be quicker than usual. Sakura says that she will not let Naruto disturb Shizune’s work but Naruto is determined to avenge Jiraiya, saying that he can’t just sit around and wait.

Fukusaku says that now the code has been decoded, the situation is nothing to do with Naruto. Naruto of course is angered by this and when he asks Fukusaku what he means, the sage replies that he couldn’t beat Pein right now anyway. So, he asks Naruto to go with him, saying that he will train him in the sage arts at Myobokuzan. He says if Naruto wants to be trained the way Jiraiya was, leading Naruto to ask if he will able to beat Pein if he does.

Fukusaku says that he doesn’t know, but for sure, Naruto cannot beat Pein as he is now. The frog sage asks Tsunade if it is okay and she smiles telling him to work Naruto to the bone. Fukusaku tells Naruto that training in the sage arts will be harder than anything he has know and asks Naruto if he still wants to do it.

A determined looking Naruto replies, that Jiraiya made it through and he can’t let Jiraiya beat him, so he’ll do it.

The very last page of the chapter gives us a shot of the eight-tails that Sasuke’s team is looking for; he’s a burly, surly looking guy. Next week’s chapter is entitled “Sage Arts”

Hopefully Karin will die when they try to catch and seal this guy…

Ahh really what is there to say about this chapter, except nothing is really going on except some set up for a fight between Falcon and the eight tails, and Naruto’s training.

I’m a little bit dismayed that through this whole situation of Naruto working through the death of Jiraiya we haven’t had a nice moment between him and Sakura. In fact any time devoted to those two in the manga recently at all, has had Sakura irritated with him, rather than having her be supportive of him.

It would really be nice to have a little moment between those two, with Sakura just showing she is there for him.

Of course Kishimoto could placate me by killing off Karin. Its not like I totally hate her, I do like her character design after all, but whenever we get a panel of her mooning over Sasuke, I just absolutely detest her. Its probably because to me that represents the person Sakura used to be and I don’t like being reminded of that I guess. I like who Sakura is now, I like how much she’s grown both physically and mentally.

We don’t need Sasuke-baka fangirls in this manga!

Images are taken from scans by SleepyFans.